WORLD SERIES, GAME FOUR: Steve Pearce’s HR and 4 RBI pace Red Sox to 9-6 come-from-behind victory

Holy cats.  How do you follow a game like that?  How tired is everyone after playing the equivalent of two games?  Will this game be sloppy or well-played?  Will the Red Sox’s 1-4 hitters get a hit?  They were a combined 0-for-28 last night, the most fruitless at-bats in a single game in Major League history.  What kind of greeting will Max Muncy get the first time he bats?[1]

Before we start, I found out that after last night’s game, the Boston clubhouse gave Nathan Eovaldi a standing ovation for his heroic six-inning effort.[2] [3]  Will it inspire the Sox to bounce back tonight?  We’re about to find out.  Here we go…

1st Inning

• The starting pitchers are crafty lefty[4] Rich Hill for the Dodgers and Eduardo Rodriguez for the Red Sox. They are the two most rested pitchers on tonight’s available roster.[5]  If they last a while, this will be low-scoring.  If the bullpens get involved, it will turn into batting practice.  The bullpens are exhausted.  Then again, Boston only had one bullpen pitcher throw a lot of innings, and that was Eovaldi, who will not enter tonight’s game, even if it means the Red Sox have to position-pitch.[6]
• If you want to see an example of perseverance, look at Rich Hill. He is the definition of “journeyman,” having played for eight Major League teams over 17 seasons, never spending more than three years with any team.  When he looked to be out of the league, he went home to Milton, Massachusetts[7] and trained with an American Legion post until the Red Sox signed him.

  

• Hill’s curveball is filthy, and he had it working nicely this inning.
• Muncy batted second in the bottom of the inning. His greeting was great.  Normal stadium background noise… “Now batting…number 13…” muted roar of anticipation… “Max MUNCY!!!!!”  Crowd went crazy.  Muncy dug in.  “MUN-CY!  MUN-CY!”  It was beautiful.

2nd Inning

• Hill’s curveball is continuing to fool hitters. He’s turning them into pretzels.
• Red Sox catcher – and, as of last night, first baseman – Christian Vázquez is swinging the bat well. He flied out to the warning track in left-center.  Even though it was an out, he hit it hard.
• Rodriguez is also pitching well for the Red Sox. Another pitcher’s duel?

3rd Inning

• Rodriguez’s at-bat to lead off the inning was goofy. On strike two, he fouled a pitch into the Dodger dugout AND lost the grip on his bat, which ended up in front of the Red Sox dugout.  On the next pitch, Hill accidentally hit him.  The speedy Mookie Betts followed.  He hit a slow roller down the third-base line that Turner had to charge hard to get.  I thought everyone would be safe, but he ended up retiring Rodriguez at second by a mile.  Rodriguez wasn’t running very hard.  In fact, replay showed that he barely had a lead, even though Freese — the first baseman — wasn’t holding him on, and he lolligagged to second.  What the heck was he thinking?  I don’t care if you’re the pitcher.  Run![8] [9]
• Hill led off the bottom of the inning, flied out on a bunt attempt, and slipped on the bag at first. The best part of that replay was the look on the umpire’s face.  He looked at him straight-faced, but it was like he was thinking, “Is this guy serious?”

4th Inning

• Hill is ROLLING. He sat the Red Sox down 1-2-3 on 11 pitches.
• Fox introduced the bottom of the inning by playing “Surfin’ USA.” I will never stop liking that song.  A true classic.
• Turner led off the bottom of the inning with a sharp single to right. It was only the second hit of the game by either team, and it was the first time that the leadoff hitter of any half-inning reached base.

5th Inning

• With one out in the top of the frame, Christian Vázquez dug in. Buck said that in his previous at-bat, he hit the ball well into left-center and sent left fielder Chris Taylor to the track to make the catch.  Smoltz said he’s had some of the best at-bats for the Red Sox.  “Even his outs have been hit hard.”  As Smoltz finished his statement, Vázquez swatted a high drive to left that hooked foul at the last second.  Two pitches later, Vázquez ripped a single to left for Boston’s first hit of the game.
• Rodriguez looked pathetic at the plate. I know he’s an American League pitcher, but he could have at least LOOKED like he was trying to get that bunt down.
• Betts hit the ball hard, but it died on the warning track in center for the third out.[10]
• Hill was the polar opposite of Rodriguez. He gave it quite an effort and ended up hitting a hot grounder to short.
• Between innings, they did the touching Stand up to Cancer tribute that they do in every World Series.[11]

6th Inning

• Even when batters hit the ball hard, they turn into Atom Balls.[12]
• Dodger first baseman David Freese led off the bottom of the inning. He got drilled at the top of the left calf by a fastball.  He was understandably pulled for a pinch runner – Kiki Hernández.
• No one has reached second base yet.

  

• Now someone has. After Muncy struck out looking, Turner followed with a double down the left-field line, sending Hernández to third.  Afterward, Boston intentionally walked Machado to load the bases.
• Bellinger then bounced one to first. The throw home was high, making the return throw to first tougher.  The throw went wide, bring Turner home and sending Machado to third.
• Puig came up with runners on the corners and two out. He CREAMED a pitch halfway up the left-field grandstand for a three-run homer that made the score 4-0.  Rodriguez slammed his glove down in frustration right after it was hit, and Puig showboated his way around the bases.[13]
• Some people are going to question Boston manager Alex Cora’s decision to keep the left-handed Rodriguez in to face Turner when they seemed to have a right-handed reliever ready to enter the game. My response is…his starter was pitching well!  Why not leave him in, especially with an exhausted bullpen?  Plus, he got a ground ball that would have been an inning-ending double play if not for the error.  Cora made the right decision.  Sometimes even the right decisions don’t work out.
• Matt Barnes came in to pitch to Chris Taylor. He walked.
• Smoltz brought up the elephant in the room when he mentioned that Cora pulled Rick Porcello VERY early last night, and that ended up taxing the bullpen even more than it already would have been.
• Barnes escaped the damage by walking catcher Austin Barnes.

7th Inning

• Even though he walked the leadoff hitter, Hill still looks sharp. Boston still only has one hit.  Leave him out there!
• After striking out Nuñez, Roberts pulled Hill to bring in Scott Alexander. Hill deservedly got a rousing ovation from a grateful crowd, but he shouldn’t have been pulled.  The Dodger bullpen is exhausted!  Hill still looks great!  Surely he’s going to be sharper than the bullpen.[14]
• Alexander walked the only guy he faced. Ryan Madson then came in to pitch to Vázquez.  So far in the World Series, all five of Madson’s inherited runners have scored.  Vázquez walked.
• After Jackie Bradley, Jr. flied out to right, Mitch Moreland crushed a three-run pinch-hit homer two-thirds of the way up the bleachers in right. Now all seven of Madson’s inherited runners have scored.  Madson isn’t cutting it right now.[15] [16]
• Joe Kelly came in to pitch for Boston. He allowed one hit but still held the Dodgers scoreless.

8th Inning

• Dodger closer Kenley Jansen took the hill. I’m fine with it.  Despite his shaky record in the World Series, he’s still their best reliever.  Granted, Hill shouldn’t have been pulled, but still…
• Aaaaaaand the second hitter, Steve Pearce, homered to left to tie the game. Here we go again…
• Machado roped a single to right on the first pitch of the bottom of the inning.[17]
• Kelly got into a jam with runners on the corners and two out, but he struck out Yasmani Grandal to end the inning and get out of it.

9th Inning

• Dylan Floro is now pitching for the Dodgers.
• Buck told us that the Red Sox have never won a World Series game in which they have trailed by four runs or more.
• On cue, Brock Holt led off the inning with a double down the line in left.
• Pinch hitter Rafael Devers followed with a single to right that scored Holt from second, putting the Red Sox ahead, 5-4.
• Get this: the only World Series game where the Red Sox came back from a THREE-run deficit was the Carlton Fisk game — the famous Game Six against the Cincinnati Reds in 1975.[18]
• After the Red Sox loaded the bases, Maeda came into the game to put out the fire. Pearce cracked the second pitch into the gap in right-center for a bases-clearing double that gave Boston an 8-4 lead.  Down 4-0 and scoring eight straight runs?    I can’t believe I picked the Dodgers to win the Series.  What was I thinking?[19]
• Xander Bogaerts then smacked a single to score Pearce from second. 9-4.  The Dodger bullpen looks gassed.  It’s like they played a marathon game last night or something.
• Nuñez then hit a high fly to deep center that ended the five-run inning.
• Boston closer Craig Kimbrel came on in a non-save situation to try and close it out. I’m imagining Cora’s conversation with him was along the lines of, “Hurry up and end this thing so we can get out of here.  I didn’t get room service last night, and I’m dying to try their steak.”
• Not a good start for Kimbrel. Hernández deposited the seventh pitch into the seats in left to make the score 9-6.  Last night taking effect?  The bullpens have been rocked.
• Turner then lined a single to left to bring up Machado. Boy, oh boy.
• Machado hit a hot grounder just inside the bag at third that Devers fielded with a dive. He then got up and fired a rifle shot to first that retired Machado by less than a step for the second out.  This is entertaining.
• I wish I could get a recording of all of the Dodger Stadium organist’s riffs. He played a lick from the Star Wars soundtrack during Bellinger’s two-out at-bat.
• Bellinger hit a short fly to left that ended the three-hour-and-fifty-seven-minute game.

Steve Pearce was the hero tonight.  He’s the one who homered off Jansen to tie the game at four[20] and hit the three-run double to put the Red Sox ahead 8-4 and blow it open.  He is the third Boston player with a homer and four or more RBI in a World Series game.  The other two?  Yaz[21] and David Ortiz, aka Big Papi.  Good company.

The bullpens need rest.  Lots of rest.

Game Five is tonight.  The Dodgers’ backs are against the wall.  They cannot lose again, or their season is over.  Here is a list of teams who have come back from a 3-1 Series deficit to win it all:  1925 Pirates (over the Washington Senators[22]), 1958 Yankees (over the Milwaukee Braves), 1968 Tigers (over the Cardinals), 1979 Pirates (over the Orioles), 1985 Royals (over the Cardinals), and the 2016 Cubs (over the Indians).

That’s it.  A glimmer of hope for the Dodgers: of the six teams to accomplish this feat, five of them won the sixth and seventh games on the road.[23]  They have their ace – Clayton Kershaw – starting pitching tonight.  Unfortunately for them, his record in games where the Dodgers are on the brink of elimination is not good.  We’ll see what happens.

Until next time…

 

 

Sunday, October 28, 2018, 1 pm MST (Happy birthday to my Uncle Bob)

 

[1] When Carlton Fisk batted in Game Seven of the 1975 Series — the day after his famous homer off the pole — it was a slightly subdued roar, and then, when his name was announced, a deafening cheer.

[2] If Boston wins the Series, a strong argument could be made for Eovaldi to get MVP.

[3] He pitched more innings than Boston’s starter, Rick Porcello.  Then again, like I mentioned in my Game Three column, Porcello was pulled WAY too early.

[4] Yes, it’s a cliché, but I don’t care.  I like it.

[5] Clayton Kershaw and Chris Sale aren’t available since they’re starting Game Five.

[6] For those who don’t know, “position-pitch” means that a player who normally isn’t a pitcher comes in to pitch.  It happens once in a great while during blowouts.  A memorable one happened when Mark Grace did so for the Diamondbacks while losing 18-0 to the Dodgers in 2002.

[7] If that town looks familiar, it might be because that’s where former President George H.W. Bush was born.

[8] Joe Buck: “I’m told in my ear that that’s the first time that Eduardo Rodriguez has been on the bases.  My question is…EVER?  I mean at some point he’s played baseball…” He echoed my thoughts.

[9] Rodriguez was the first pitcher to be hit by a pitch in a World Series game in 50 years.  (Nelson Briles, St. Louis, by Detroit’s Mickey Lolich in Game 5.)

[10] Despite the memorable home runs that have been hit in Dodger Stadium, it is quite the pitcher’s park.  It is TOUGH to hit one out due to the wind patterns and the marine layer.

[11] Given how many people I love who have been taken by cancer, I skipped it shortly after it started.  I was crying too hard.  I miss you, Dad.  I miss you, Miss Graz.  I miss you, Brenda.

[12] For those who don’t know, it’s a clever pun.  He hit it hard, but right “atom.”

[13] It’s understandable, but I still don’t like it.  In a conversation I had with my friend Robert Lacey — a former Major League pitcher — I said something similar, and he said I was showing my age.  The game has changed.  (Now get off my lawn!!!!)

[14] I found out after the game that even President Trump criticized the move.  That made me laugh.  Roberts’ response also did, saying that he was glad that the president was watching the game.

[15] He looked so dejected.  I kind of feel bad for him.  His confidence must be shot.

[16] Buck stated that Madson has a dubious record for most inherited runners scored in a single World Series.

[17] It was a 100-mph pitch.  Kelly throws HARD.

[18] Boston was down 6-3 when former Red Bernie Carbo hit a pinch-hit three-run homer to tie it up.  Fisk won the game in the 12th with his legendary homer off the pole over the Monster that he waved fair.  Interesting note about that hit: the reason we saw the shot of Fisk waving it fair was that the TV camera operator who was inside the Monster was startled by a very large rat.  He didn’t see Fisk hit the ball, so he couldn’t track the flight.  Since he couldn’t, he kept the camera fixed on Fisk.  Fun to think that memorable camera shot was all caused by a rat!

[19] I’ll tell you what I was thinking.  They beat a very good Brewers team.  Boston was lucky to beat Houston, and the Brewers are better than the Astros.  It’s a bit of a logical fallacy, but that was my gut.

[20] And give Jansen a blown save on the second consecutive night.

[21] His full name is Carl Yastrzemski.  They called him Yaz because it’s easier to say and spell.

[22] The Senators moved to Minnesota in 1961 and became the Twins.

[23] The 1925 Pirates were the only ones who didn’t.